The Braves are decidedly not blowing anything up. They were last in homers in June and got outhomered 5-1 by the Cardinals, hitting their sole homer in the game they won.
But, what about you? Risking your fingers (maybe), staring up at the sky, or maybe a mix of both?
The Orioles have had a lot of things go wrong in 2026, but let’s just pause to appreciate the fact that, for one sweltering July afternoon at Camden Yards, something finally went right. Dean Kremer, back after a nine-week absence with a right quad strain, threw six innings of one-run ball to snap his team’s four-game skid and beat the White Sox, 6-1. It was vintage Kremer: unspectacular stuff, with four strikeouts, one walk, a lot of soft contact. And just the stopper outing that the Orioles needed, as their staff and their team struggle with injuries and inconsistencies.
Unspectacular but dependable has been the story of Dean Kremer’s career (his hair is spectacular, but that’s another story). Last year was typical, as he posted a 4.19 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and a 142:45 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 31 outings and a team-leading 171.2 innings. Over his career, pretty similar: a lifetime 4.23 ERA and 1.281 WHIP across parts of seven seasons. Kremer is, almost to a T, the definition of league average (a 96 ERA+ suggests he’s just a notch below).
But maybe we’ve underappreciated Dean Kremer. It was a shock, to me at least, when the multi-year veteran was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk at the start of this season, deemed unworthy of a rotation spot by the front office what with newcomers Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt on the team, and Zach Eflin and Kyle Bradish back and ready to pitch. We’re rarely excited to see the name “Kremer” penciled in for the start that day, but considering what Baltimore’s rotation has been through this year, I think we should roll out the orange carpet for him.
Consider the state of things around here, pitching-wise. Zach Eflin’s season ended after a single start. Chris Bassitt is on the 15-day IL after having a bone spur removed from his back. Kyle Bradish, back from Tommy John surgery, has been maddeningly uneven, capable of stringing together the kind of dominant stretches (back-to-back gems in mid-June, including eight scoreless innings in Anaheim) that recall his 2024 near-Cy Young form, but also clunkers where he suddenly loses control. Shane Baz keeps flashing the upside that made him a four-prospect return but he, too, is frustratingly inconsistent. Trevor Rogers started the season with an ERA above 10.00 in May. Improbably, Brandon Young, an undrafted 27-year-old who started the year in Triple-A, may quietly be turning the best season of any Orioles starter, sitting on a 3.11 ERA with a 6-2 record across thirteen starts. And Trey Gibson, a well-regarded prospect, is carrying an ERA north of 7.00 in eight appearances (seven starts).
So where does Kremer fit in, now that he’s been reactivated? Kremer’s activation came with two corresponding moves: catcher Dom Keegan was designated for assignment, and, more relevantly for this conversation, the 24-year-old Gibson was optioned back to Norfolk, along with lefty Josh Walker. Gibson seems like he just isn’t ready: that answers the immediate question. Kremer didn’t push out Brandon Young, who’s been one of the best stories on the pitching staff all season. He pushed out the struggling Gibson based on performance, which makes that call an easy one.
The more interesting question is what happens next, once Bassitt himself is back in the mix. Baltimore has flirted with a six-man rotation before, and the appetite for it hasn’t gone away. Elias himself left the door open on it back in spring training, framing the five-man start to the season as “a calendar decision rather than a capability verdict.” Orioles beat writers have been thinking along the same lines: one recent SI analysis argued that “a six-man rotation when Kremer comes back makes all the sense in the world,” noting that trying to squeeze 180 innings out of a pitcher who spent two months hurt would be needlessly risky.
My guess: expect a soft six-man look before a hard one. The O’s don’t have to commit to it formally: they can simply use built-in off-days to space Kremer’s next couple of starts out, buying him extra rest without officially subtracting a bullpen arm. But if Bassitt returns healthy in the next few weeks, the numbers game becomes unavoidable: Rogers, Bradish, Baz, Bassitt, Young, and Kremer make six established arms for five spots, and Baltimore would be stupid to non-tender or bury any of them.
Then there’s the W-L record issue, too. So far, Orioles public faces are insisting that the team still sees itself as a buyer, but at 40-48, that gets harder and harder to justify. A formal six-man rotation, at least for a stretch, feels like the path of least organizational resistance—especially for a team that doesn’t need to squeeze every marginal inning out of a thin roster before the July 31 deadline sorts out who’s actually staying and who’s going.
For now, though, the answer is simpler than the six-man speculation suggests. Albernaz called Kremer on his return a “steadying” presence, someone who can “navigate the game and control his emotions, slow heartbeat,” the kind of veteran presence the club had missed. Kremer didn’t take anyone’s job so much as reclaim his own, and maybe for that, we should be glad.
Head to NBC and Peacock this Sunday, July 5, for an action-packed day of MLB coverage. NBC Sports presents a special "Star-Spangled Sunday" featuring all 30 MLB teams in action throughout the day on NBC, Peacock, and NBCSN.
This week's coverage is headlined by the NY Mets vs Atlanta Braves Sunday Leadoff matchup on NBC and Peacock at 12:00 PM ET, and the San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers Sunday NightBaseball showdown at 7:00 PM ET. See below for additional information on how to watch every game.
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Alan Rangel has been the first one tasked with filling Andrew Painter’s spot in the Phillies rotation. So far, Rangel has appeared in three games, and Tim Mayza was utilized as an opener in two of them. Rangel has fared relatively well in his limited action, although the Phillies are 0-3 in those games.
He pitched five innings of one run ball in his first game with five hits and four strikeouts, but the Phillies lost 4-1 to the Nats due to a quiet offense and Seth Johnson allowing a late two-run homer to Curtis Mead. Rangel was charged with the loss in his second appearance against the Mets, but he was pitching quite well through his four innings of work heading into the sixth but hit a wall after allowing back-to-back singles and then a two-run triple. His day was done after allowing another baserunner and Jonathan Bowlan couldn’t clean up the mess, as he allowed both inherited runners to score, bringing the runs charged to Rangel total up to 4. His third appearance yesterday was his first MLB start, and although he lasted only four innings, Rangel did not allow a run despite allowing three hits and four walks.
Rangel is not being asked to do much, as the Phillies just need him to be a competent fifth starter. So far, he’s looked the part but perhaps requires a faster hook as evidenced by his second appearance. Regardless, Rangel has largely given the team a chance to win which is all you can ask of a fifth starter. So, what do you think of Alan Rangel so far?
The NBA is hanging on The Decision 4.0 to find out where LeBron James will play for the 2026-27 season. James might turn 42 years old in December, but he still feels like a top-50 player in the world, and there are a ton of contenders who could use his services. James is believed to be choosing between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors for next season, but we now know he’s considering even more teams after his agent Rich Paul leaked a whiteboard detailing his “realistic” options.
Paul addressed James’ free agency on his Game Over Podcast with Max Kellerman, saying “outside of one organization, maybe two. I’ve heard from every team in the entire league.” What teams is James realistically considering? It’s all on this whiteboard:
It’s fascinating to see it all laid out like this. James’ first option is the Philadelphia 76ers, where he would fit in between Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid. His next option is the Miami Heat, where he would start alongside Davion Mitchell, Andrew Wiggins, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Bam Adebayo. The Cavs are there of course, too, which would put James in a lineup with Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. Finally, there’s the Denver Nuggets, with Jamal Murray, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic.
Notice the team in the upper lefthand corner: the Warriors. Paul doesn’t have a lineup written out for Golden State. Why? Maybe because they’re chasing Anthony Davis, too.
Here’s a clip of Paul talking about the 76ers, and saying “everything changed” after the Jaylen Brown trade:
The Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, and New York Knicks are also on the board. On the Knicks, Paul said: “If the Knick hadn’t won, there would be no board. He’d be going to the Knicks.”
The Warriors still feel like the frontrunner to me. Golden State’s plan was put in motion when Draymond Green opted out of his player option, and remember, Green’s agent is also Paul. It feels like LeBron would love to play with Stephen Curry, but landing Davis could be the holdup. The Wizards suddenly have a lot of power after their buy-low trade for Davis at the deadline. Washington could leverage Golden State for a bunch of future assets, or watch their LeBron dreams fade away if he doesn’t think the team can actually contend without Davis.
LeBron has indicated that happiness — not money — will be the driving factor in his decision. It feels like that means a lot of teams have a realistic shot at him even if they don’t have cap space.
Where would LeBron have the best chance to win his fifth ring? The Warriors wouldn’t rate too highly by that metric in my opinion with such an old team. I’d probably say Minnesota or Philadelphia. Maybe the Celtics even after trading Jaylen Brown?
LeBron’s decision is coming soon. It’s going to be fascinating to watch whatever team he chooses.
Jaylen Brown isn’t hiding what everyone already sensed.
Brown, a former NBA Finals MVP who was traded from the Celtics to the rival 76ers earlier this week, said he “wasn’t thrilled with the amount of respect I was shown during this process.”
Speaking on a livestream to say goodbye to Celtics fans, Brown reacted to being traded for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.
Jaylen Brown went live to address Brad Stevens and being traded by the Boston Celtics for the first time:
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod
“I’m still processing everything, so give me some time… But I will say, there was a message being sent and that message was received. I wasn't thrilled with the amount of… pic.twitter.com/nsAncwb42g(@big_business_) July 3, 2026
Brown initially was offered to the Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and it appears there was no putting the toothpaste back in the tube after it became public knowledge that the Celtics were willing to part with the player who carried the load while Jayson Tatum missed most of last season due to injury.
Antetokounmpo was ultimately traded to the Heat instead of the Celtics.
“I will say, there was a message being sent,” Brown said, “and that message was received.”
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has been getting pilloried for the perceived lopsided trade.
Brown didn’t exactly take him off the hot seat, though he implied that other factors were at play.
“I think there was a bit of a lack of respect – I think it was fine at point – and then out of nowhere things kind of went left,” Brown said. “I think Brad is probably getting a lot of the criticism. I wasn’t thrilled the way he facilitated some of the conversations but there’s definitely more to it.”
The Celtics and 76ers make strange bedfellows considering that Philadelphia just eliminated Boston from the playoffs by winning a Game 7 on the road, and now the hierarchy of the Eastern Conference behind the Knicks looks much different because Brown is teaming up with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecomb.
“There’s a bunch of excitement, disappointment, a bunch of emotions,” Brown said.
“I’m still processing everything, so give me some time. I’m also looking forward to what’s to come next.”
Just about everything that can go wrong lately for the Yankees has. Losing games? Well, obviously. Injuries? Unfortunately, yes. Offense going cold? You know it. Pitchers who’ve been having good years having unexpected off days? That too. Defensive lapses? Duh.
However over the years, there’s always been one thing that can help the Yankees get some wins: playing the Minnesota Twins. Well, that’s who’s up next so this weekend, we’ll see how big the slump truly is.
Having traded away a lot of their notable players at the trade deadline last year, the Twins are in something of a rebuild. While Byron Buxton, Joe Ryan, and some others you know are still around, they’re a different team than they’ve been in recent years. They’re still somewhat in the playoff race, but that’s more a product of the AL Central than anything else.
With the two teams starting a three-game set later tonight, let’s take a look at the probable pitching matchups for the next few days.
Friday: Gerrit Cole vs. Mike Paredes (7:04 pm ET)
Upon first coming off the injured list, Cole hit the ground running, throwing two 6+ inning shutout performances, including striking out 10 in one of them. However over the five starts since, he has a 6.12 ERA and a 5.95 FIP. His main issue in that time has been home runs, allowing seven in those five games. Hitting home runs has not been the issue for the Twins, as they were ninth in MLB with 110 going into Thursday’s games.
This will be the Yankees’ first ever meeting with the rookie Paredes. This will be just his fifth career start and seventh game in general, having gotten called up in late May. He’s been okay so far, with a 4.26 ERA and a 103 ERA+. However, his FIP is noticeably worse, 5.44, as he really doesn’t strike many hitters out.
Saturday: Carlos Rodón TBD vs. Zebby Matthews (1:35 pm ET)
Rodón can often be a tedious watch. His 4.6 BB/9 rate is quite high, and only 61 percent of his pitches on the season have gone for strikes. That being said, he’s been effective. He has a 3.30 ERA and a 3.45 FIP. The issue is always just, will walks burn him and how deep into the game can he go?
Update: Actually, Rodón is going on the IL with left elbow inflammation, so… that’s great. Elmer Rodríguez pitched last night at Triple-A, so he’s unavailable for a spot start. Maybe it’ll be Brendan Beck, who made a spot-start cameo back in May and was supposed to go tonight for Scranton (he will at the very least be up tomorrow as a potential “bulk guy” in front of an opener). Or maybe you!
Matthews is another fairly inexperienced pitcher, but in this case, the Yankees have seen him a couple times before and have gotten to him. They faced him last year in August and September, and in the second of those meetings the Yankees’ offense got him for nine runs on 11 hits in just three innings. His nine starts this year have generally been right around league average.
Sunday: Ryan Weathers vs. Joe Ryan (1:35 pm ET)
Weathers is another pitcher that’s a bit of a taxing watch, but unlike Rodón, his numbers don’t quite grade out as “pretty good.” His ERA (4.08) is technically better than average (104 ERA+), and his FIP (4.13) isn’t atrocious either, but when he’s bad, he tends to be bad enough to pitch the Yankees way out of games. In his last start, he lasted just 1.2 innings, having allowed five runs to the Tigers. The defense hurt him, as only two of the runs were earned, but he didn’t exactly cover himself in glory that day.
After a borderline ace-type season in 2025, that saw him in trade rumors during the Twins’ deadline sell-off, Ryan has taken a bit of a step back so far this year, at least if you just look at his ERA. However, his 2.95 FIP is the best of his career, and his 0.9 HR/9 rate is by far his best ever. If the Yankees’ offense are in one of their moods, he could very well breeze through them, even if a casual glance at his stats makes it look like he’s not as good this year.
Agent Rich Paul highlights Sixers as potential destination for LeBron James originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
There’s no doubt the Sixers are on LeBron James’ radar.
On the latest “Game Over” podcast, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, James’ longtime agent, broke out a whiteboard with potential free-agent destinations for the 22-time All-Star. He named 10 teams and started by discussing the Sixers.
Safe to say James took notice of the Sixers’ trade for Jaylen Brown.
“Philadelphia, everything changed,” Paul said. “How could you not have (his) attention when you have (Tyrese) Maxey, (VJ) Edgecombe, Brown, (Joel) Embiid?”
At the moment, the Sixers have one open roster spot and would only be able to offer James a minimum-salary contract. As Paul detailed, there’s a lot for James to like about the Sixers’ current roster.
“He loves Maxey, so we don’t even have to talk about that,” Paul said. “I think he (would) help VJ really understand how to play the game. Super talented and he plays both ends of the floor, plays hard every night. The benefit that (Edgecombe) gets, it would be ridiculous. Obviously, Jaylen Brown … (James) enhances everything. He unlocks everything there.”
Paul also mentioned Sixers executive vice president of basketball operations Jameer Nelson and executive president of basketball operations Mike Gansey.
“Let me give you an X-factor about the Sixers,” he said. “We forgot about something: Jameer Nelson is a part of the front office. Ex-player. You know Mike Gansey’s an Ohio guy, played against us in high school. There’s a picture floating around that Mike Gansey’s brother (Steve) put out of Mike Gansey and LeBron … they were part of the high school Ohio All-Americans for the season.”
Along with the Sixers, Paul highlighted the following teams:
“Outside of one organization, maybe two, I’ve heard from every organization in the league,” Paul said.
Well, we now have (temporary) closure on the Willson Contreras/Cade Cavalli incident. Major League Baseball has suspended both players for seven games, with Contreras’s suspension being specifically linked to behavior “during and following” the episode, meaning, i.e., that he’s being punished both for the helmet throw and for his subsequent social media post. Nate Eaton has received an additional three game suspension, whille Nationals pitcher Miles Mikolas received a five-gamer. Of course, Cavalli is a starting pitcher, meaning that a seven-game suspension is really just something that bumps his regularly scheduled start a few days. If MLB actually wanted send a message about his remarks, they would’ve given him at least nine games. Both players have the option to appeal the suspension, during which the suspension will be put on hold. Otherwise, Contreras, easily the Red Sox best overall player this season, is set to miss most of a crucial nine-game road trip that will likely be the last chance the Red Sox have of getting back into the playoff race before the trade deadline. (Jen McCaffrey Spencer Nussbaum, The Athletic)
Being in the middle of an on-field controversy isn’t anything new for Contreras, who is known for playing the game with more passion and verve than the typical Major Leaguer. “To be honest, there’s not a lot of people that like me, and that’s fine,” Contreras said recently. “There have been a lot of teammates that, when they’re on the other side, they hate me, but when they’re on your side, they love me, because they know what I’m willing to do. I’m willing to do anything to win for them. It’s a survival game. You have to survive. At the same time you might make people uncomfortable. To survive, you have to make people uncomfortable. That’s how I see it.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
Contreras isn’t the only important piece the Sox will be without for the foreseeable future, as lefty Connelly Early was placed on the IL on the same day as the Contreras-Cavalli fight. Thankfully, though, an MRI revealed no structural damage to Early’s elbow. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
It’ll likely be Patrick Sandoval who will take Early’s place in the rotation. It’s been just over two years since the lefty has stepped on a big league mound. “I don’t want to speak too soon,” Sandoval said, “but I feel good right now.” (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
Hopefully Sandoval fares better than Payton Tolle did during his most recent start, which was the worst start of of the precocious pitcher’s young career. In Tolle’s defense, it was so hot that catcher connor Wong claims to have lost six pounds during the game. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
Outside of a measly one-run showing on Wednesday in Sacramento, the Dodgers offense has been rolling over their last six games.
Against the San Diego Padres on Thursday, they overcame a six-run deficit while tying a season-high with 17 hits in a 12-7 victory, marking the second time over their last three meetings that the Dodgers put up 17 hits over San Diego. One of the unsung heroes of Thursday was Kyle Tucker, connecting for four hits after walking four times in the finale against the Athletics and having reached base in nine consecutive plate appearances.
While Tucker hasn’t yet lived up the expectations that his contract demands, Tucker has been finding his stride over his last seven games, slashing .417/.548/.583 with a home run and five RBI. Tucker spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA about his four-hit performance following Thursday’s win, where he noted that he’s starting to play at the level that fans had been expecting from him.
“The last four games feel a lot better… Swing feels a lot better, and even my takes have been a lot better, so I’m happy with those.”
Dalton Rushing was the other Dodger with a four-hit game on Thursday, adding a home run to his credit and finishing a triple shy of the cycle.
The last 10 games have produced a whirlwind of results for Rushing, from having to be consoled by his manager to adding another huge night against San Diego, and he spoke with Watson about how Thursday’s performance gave him a boost of confidence in setting the table for the top of the lineup.
“It’s a boost of confidence. You feel ready for the next however many [games] you get. Anytime you can get your game started like that, it’s going to be a good game.”
The Dodgers offense had to do the heavy lifting after another frustrating start from Roki Sasaki, who tossed 89 pitches over three innings while allowing six earned runs and three home runs.
While Sasaki showed flashes of brilliance, especially in his two starts against the Angels, the right-hander has not only fallen back down to Earth, but cratered on the landing. Sasaki spoke with Watson about his rough performance, noting that while he felt his stuff wasn’t bad, there’s still some tinkering in store.
“They fouled off a lot of pitches, but maybe because my intensity of my fastball or maybe my command issues. I feel like I have to work on those things to improve.”
The opposite of waking up after a bullpen meltdown is waking up after a walkoff win and I much prefer today’s feeling.
Here’s your recap of yesterday’s 6-5 win over the White Sox. I still feel pretty mad about Vogt leaving Cecconi in that game.
Good game from Kwan yesterday going 1 for 2 with 2 walks. I still can’t get over looking at his line and seeing an OPS under .600.
Mike Mahoney and I did a Disgusting Baseball Podcast during the game.
AROUND MLB:
Tigers and Royals lost.
Earlier this week, we ran a poll looking back at the Dallas Mavericks draft. We asked you to grade it. Now, because of some technical limitations, I couldn’t do a normal letter-scale grade, so I went with the broader set of statements: Passing, failing, incomplete.
Here are the results of that poll.
The majority of fans gave the Mavericks a passing grade, with a fairly close split between the other two options. Personally, I went with incomplete.
The draft is but one tool for team improvement in the off-season but given the current CBA restrictions, the current contending teams have, by and large, shown the draft as the most direct way to rapid improvement. Trades still happen as do free agent signings, but they are more about rounding out your team. With that understanding, my grade came from the fact that the draft itself did little to address the specific team needs: playmaking.
Dallas fell to 9th due to a coinfip and a bad lottery draw and missed out on the top set of guards according to all draft experts. They went with Morez Johnson as a result. He’s a huge player and I look forward to seeing what he can do, but until the Mavericks make more roster changes, he’s part of a logjam. They really need him to work as this is the last time Dallas should draft in the lottery for some time.
Later in the draft the made a trade to secure Spanish guard Sergio De Larrea and he seems like a potential steal, but we’ll need to see how he plays. Later they selected Tobi Lawai and Vsevolod Ishchenko, a couple of long-term prospects who may never suit up for Dallas.
Simply put, Dallas has work to do before the regular season as the roster on paper right now doesn’t make a ton of sense. If you’re feeling frisky about the specifics of the Mavericks future, head over to FanDuel and take some futures bets on the Mavs. There are some fun ones around how many wins you think Dallas can secure next year.
Cade Povich allowed a pair of early homers but settled down to pitch into the fifth inning. The lefty allowed seven hits, walked one and struck out five. Povich tossed a clean third, danced around a two-out double in the fourth, and exited after allowing a walk and a double in the fifth. He threw 56 of 81 pitches for strikes.
Heston Kjerstad went deep for the second consecutive night to mark his fifth homer of the season. Enrique Bradfield Jr. stole a pair of bags and scored twice while going 1-for-4 with a walk. Jeremiah Jackson finished 2-for-5, and Ryan Noda went 2-for-3 with a base on balls.
Chesapeake trailed 4-2 before erupting for six runs in the top of the ninth. Aron Estrada launched a go-ahead grand slam to flip a two-run deficit into a two-run lead. Ethan Anderson followed with a solo shot, and Douglas Hodo III drove in the eighth run of the evening. The grand slam capped a massive day for Estrada at the plate. The 21-year-old finished 4-for-5 and a triple shy of the cycle. Frederick Bencosme doubled twice while going 4-for-5 as well.
Lost in the fireworks was a nice outing from Joseph Dzierwa. Dzierwa limited the Rumble Ponies to only two hits over 4.2 scoreless innings. He struck out seven and walked two. Alex Pham tossed 2.1 innings of scoreless ball. Richard Guasch allowed all four runs in just one inning but received a fortuitous win.
Ike Irish smacked solo shots in the first and sixth innings while going 3-for-5 in the victory. The blasts marked his 11th and 12th homers this season. Wehiwa Aloy finished 3-for-5 with a triple and three RBIs, and Vance Honeycutt walked and scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Yeiber Cartaya limited Brooklyn to one run over 4.2 frames. He allowed three hits, struck out two, and walked a pair. Tyson Neighbors earned the win with a scoreless eighth. He struck out a pair and did not allow a baserunner.
Delmarva scored all three of its runs in the second inning. The Shorebirds struck first on a wild pitch, and Raylin Ramos drove in two more with a base hit up the middle. Charleston outhit Delmarva 7-to-5, but the pitchers kept the RiverDogs off the board.
Andrew Herbert delivered a quality start for Delmarva. Herbert allowed five hits, but only one of his two runs were earned. Trent Turzenski, J.D. Hennen, and Jack Crowder combined for three scoreless innings of relief.
Norfolk: at Scranton Wilkes-Barre, 7:05. Starter: Yaqui Rivera (1-2, 1.75 ERA)
Chesapeake: vs Binghamton, 7:00 pm. Starter: Evan Yates (4-4, 5.37 ERA)
Frederick: vs Brooklyn, 7:00 pm. Starter: Twine Palmer (3-3, 3.62 ERA)
Delmarva: vs Charleston, 6:35 pm. Starter: Brayan Orrantia (0-4, 4.97 ERA)
Royals captain Salvador Perez was out of Thursday night’s lineup with elbow soreness, causing a flurry of roster moves
Catcher Luke Maile was selected to the 40-man roster and called up from Triple-A Omaha, offering a reinforcement behind the plate if something were to happen to Carter Jensen and the Royals needed another catcher during the game.
In corresponding moves, outfielder John Rave was optioned to Triple-A Omaha, and reliever Eric Cerantola was designated for assignment to create room on the 40-man for Maile. The Royals also activated Stephen Kolek from the family medical emergency list to make Thursday’s start against the Rays and optioned reliever Jose Cuas to Omaha.
In other injury news, Cole Ragans has UCL surgery and is out for the next 10-12 months
Cole Ragans underwent an ulnar collateral ligament repair on his left elbow on Wednesday, with the surgery performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles.
The Royals’ lefty now faces 10-12 months of recovery. The club expects his return midseason in 2027.
The extent of Ragans’ elbow surgery was not known until he actually had the operation done, with several different options based on what the surgeon found once he could assess the elbow fully. But the Royals were operating under the assumption that it was going to be something related to Ragans’ UCL, and that they were not going to get Ragans back on the mound in 2026.
Kendry Chourio and Blake Mitchell will play in the Futures Game this season
Chourio has been on a rocket ship since signing for the Royals last year, and after a promotion to Quad Cities last month, he’s the only age-18 pitcher to appear at High-A this season and the first since Eury Pérez in 2021. His fastball sits around 96 mph (that stands out more for his command of it than its shape), and he plays off that with an upper-70s, good-spin curveball and an upper-80s changeup. Mitchell is a Three True Outcome King with 13 homers, a 24.5 percent walk rate and 35.2 percent strikeout rate in 68 games at High-A Quad Cities this season. The 2023 eighth overall pick also has a strong arm from behind the plate that he could show off in Philly.
Here are some former Royals who are playing well this year.
Michael Wacha and Jac Caglianone were named Royals player and pitcher of the month for June
Brayan Rocchio hit a walk-off two run homer against the White Sox in a battle of for the lead in the AL Central
Julio Rodriguez left the game for Seattle after taking a throw off the helmet on a double play ball
ESPN analyst Matt Miller is now being investigated by Missouri attorney general after car crash last month
Here is your song of the day Africa by Toto
My first foray into this “contract year” between MLB and the MLBPA looked at how franchise values continue to grow at wildly unequal—if steadily upward—rates.
This time around, the focus is on geography. So, get out that green folder (don’t fight me on this) from eighth grade and let’s find the section on “population density”.
First, a thought experiment:
Imagine three lemonade stands run by the same proprietor operating on three different streets.
The first one operates on a street where 1,000 people walk by every hour.
The second sees 500 people/hour stroll by.
The third only draws 100 passersby in the same period.
Every single day, these three lemonade stands are in competition with each other for sales that can be poured (pardon the pun) back into the business. For product-saturation reasons, the less-trafficked stands cannot simply horn in on the busier stands’ territory.
One can imagine the inequity this setup might produce between the rival-but-all-in-the-same-gang stands. Stand 3 could have the highest-quality lemonade and service in the business, but never win the competition simply because the volume of potentially thirsty patrons is so low. Stand 1 could dominate in sales by pairing a strong product with high traffic—or put out watered-down lemonade and probably still come out on top because, well, there are just so many potential consumers on that hourly basis.
This is what is happening in MLB geographically right now.
Using this U.S. Census Data (no guarantees on if any fava beans or Chianti were consumed in the process), here is a basic tiered layout of MLB markets by population density/size…
Something else to remember: though often hard for us “die hards” to comprehend, most daily ballpark attendance comes from folks simply “looking for something to do”. Yes, the competitiveness of the on-field product can and will certainly tip the scales in one direction or the other. But the access to larger numbers of individuals who may decide to go—and take their family/friends with them—to one or more of 81 yearly contests is also an enormous profit consideration.
It isn’t just “butts in seats”, either. TV deals are largely valued on advertising. The more potential eyes on the glowing box (or device), the more $$$ clubs can get for their media wares. While perhaps more prominent in the bygone age of cable TV, it still stands to reason that larger markets = larger potential advertising profits, especially with MLB mostly being a regional-over-national success media-wise.
This takes us back to our lemonade stand. Except now, replace the citrusy stop with a MLB ballpark but keep the varying street traffics. No matter how good or bad the product is, high volume is going to have an inherent advantage over its opposite. The Dodgers can build an empire by consistently winning, while the Mets can still rake in the dough as lovable losers. Meanwhile, the Twins or Pirates can turtle up and not compete at all, or clubs like the Brewers & Tigers can continue trying to swing with the big boys and never quite reach that level but for an extraordinary run of development/injury good fortune.
To be clear, I’m not at all saying that player dev and smart personnel decisions don’t matter. The Rockies have failed that exam for years and look where they are, while the Rays seemingly ace the test every term. I simply think it is important to remember that certain MLB franchises have significant built-in advantages over others by population density alone.
Advantages that could be leveled at least somewhat by a salary cap/floor structure in the upcoming collective bargaining agreement.
